Environmental management and ecocentric governance in the context of sustainable development and environmental security

This study provides a comprehensive philosophical and theoretical analysis of the role of environmental education and management in addressing the global environmental crisis. The relevance of this study stems from the need for mankind to transition from an anthropocentric model of domination over nature to a strategy of sustainable development. It has been proven that traditional economic and technological mechanisms are insufficient to resolve biospheric contradictions without a fundamental change in the worldview paradigm and the development of a new management culture. The purpose of this study is to justify the concept of environmental management as an integral component of the modern educational system. The methodological basis of the study is the dialectical method (analysis of contradictions within the “human–nature” system), the axiological approach (the study of the transformation of value orientations) and the systemic approach, which allows us to view the greening of education as a tool for national security. This paper explores the content of the environmental management as a philosophy of the responsible stewardship of the environment. This study analyzes the genesis of ecological ideas in Ukrainian and world pedagogical theory (from V. Monomakh to V. Sukhomlynskyi), confirming the continuity of the principles of harmony with nature. It has been determined that environmental education has two fundamental functions: the transmission of the “social gene pool” (preservation of culture) and the adaptation of the individual to new civilizational conditions. It has been proven that education-rather than coercive or purely technical methods - is the only evolutionary mechanism for the crisis-free transformation of the social system. The scientific novelty lies in defining environmental management as a strategic tool for making higher education more environmentally friendly, which allows to train a new type of a specialist – “eco-manager.” It has been concluded that the development of an environmental culture through education is a key factor in ensuring national security and implementing a sustainable development strategy. The article offers practical recommendations on the content of environmental studies in higher education institutions.